Everyone loves September

There is something about September that causes a stir. Maybe it's the change of season signs, the ritual of a new school year or the sense of the current year now running out of time and heading towards its end, but September brings with it an optimism, urgency to use time well and a sense of fresh start. Like New Years, September is often a time when people start into new "resolutions" (so strange that we never call them that at this time of year...) or habits or endeavours. Maybe a time to start learning a new activity like swimming, or time to start studying up on new skills in your chosen musical instrument or - as is often the case - a time to begin a new fitness and nutrition regime.

If this is you, here are some strategies to help you keep at it and not let your newly found good habits/intentions fall to the way-side:

1) Write it down. Put down on paper what you are trying to do/accomplish. Make appointments on your calendar for when you will actually do the steps required. Want to become better at prepping healthy foods so they are readily available during the week? Book yourself a 1 hour appointment on your calendar for Sunday afternoon to remind you of this important task. Want to go to the gym 3 times a week? Figure out ahead of time what hours and time of day will realistically work for you and fill them in on your calendar as work out appointments.

2) Develop a cueing system to help you remember. Apps like "ToDo" work great for sending you a reminder that you made that commitment to yourself for Saturday at 9:00 to pick up fresh vegetables for the week at the farmers market. Another form of cueing system is to pair your desired activity with something you already do. Maybe your goal is to improve the number of pushups you can do. In this case, pair it with something you already do regularly - maybe each time you finish a glass of water, you follow that up with 10 pushups. You want to add more vegetables into your diet each day? Pair up a serving of carrot sticks with your usual trip into the staffroom for that extra cup of coffee. Find simple ways to remind yourself to fulfill your desired commitments.

3) Stay positive. There will be times when you will miss your goal. Don't throw away the baby with the bathwater and give up on your new endeavour just because you had an off day or two. Really messed up your good beginnings with improved nutrition by losing it in the staff room with an overdose of doughnuts? No big deal. Get back to your routines the very next meal.

4) Be as consistent as possible. It's consistency that moves your forward more than anything else. This does not equal perfection - always think "Progress, not perfection".

You got this!